After leaving the Pyrenees Mountains, the peloton will get no respite from the climbs, as they will face a grueling Stage 15 in the French Occitan.
Stage 15 will depart from the small Aveyron village of Laissac-Severac l'Eglise, starting out on flat roads before dropping down into the town of Saint-Geniez-d'Olt-et-d'Aubrac 17 kilometers into the day.
Once the riders pass through Saint-Geniez-d'Olt-et-d'Aubrac they will reach the foot of their first categorized climb of the day, up to the summit of the challenging category 1 Montee de Naves d'Aubrac.
The ascent to the top of Montee de Naves d'Aubrac will be the longest of the day, measuring 8.9 kilometers, and taking the field up an average incline of 6.4% to an altitude of 1,058 meters above sea level.
Riders will get no chance to collect themselves after reaching the summit of Montee de Naves d'Aubrac, as they will immediately begin their second categorized climb of the day up the category 3 climb to the summit of the Cote de Vieurals.
After a 3.3 kilometer ascent of 5.9% to an altitude of 1,358 meters, riders will begin a long, gradual descent over the next 50 kilometers.
96 kilometers into the stage the field will reach the day's only intermediate sprint in the village of Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole.
The intermediate sprint will involve a short climb, where green jersey contenders will likely be at the front fighting for valuable points towards the green jersey as the 104th Tour de France heads into its final third.
The field will climb another 400 meters from Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole, reaching L'Hospitalet du Sauvage with 82 kilometers to go.
Riders will descend from L'Hospitalet du Sauvage for the next 40 kilometers, before reaching the foot of the stage's penultimate climb to the summit of the Col de Peyra Taillade.
The ascent on the Col de Peyra Taillade will take the riders up a difficult 7.4% average incline over 8.3 kilometers before topping out at an altitude of 1,190 meters.
From the penultimate summit, the peloton will descend once again before reaching the final categorized climb of the day up the punchy category 4 Cote de Saint-Vidal, which cover 1.9 kilometers on a 6.8% average gradient.
The final 5 kilometers to the finish in Le Puy-en-Velay will be all downhill before flattening out in the final kilometer.
All eyes will be on the top four riders in the general classification, which includes Chris Froome (Team Sky), Fabio Aru (Astana), Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), and Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac), as less than 30'' separates first place from fourth place. Look for Aru, Bardet, and Uran each to be playing a tactical game with Froome, with all three of the second-to-fourth place riders likely to be making moves in the final 30 kilometers. These four riders are riding in a league of their own thus far, and Stage 15 will be another mountainous stage that sets up for a multitude of gamesmanship among the leaders and the general classification after Stage 15 will reflect who was both the smartest and strongest rider on the day.
Expect to see Thomas de Gendt (Lotto Soudal) on the offensive throughout Stage 15, as over 40 points towards the polka dot jersey are up for grabs on the day. de Gendt currently sits in second in the King of the Mountains competition behind Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb). Barguil holds a 58 point edge on de Gendt after Stage 14, and with the Tour de France about to enter its final week de Gendt is running out of time to close the comfortable gap Barguil has created after finishing second to Rigoberto Uran on Stage 9 and winning Stage 13 in Foix. The Belgian rider must take his chances if he has hopes of wearing the polka dot jersey in Paris, and staying up front throughout the stage coupled with a victory at the line in Le Puy-en-Velay would be the major move that de Gendt needs to be the King of the Mountains at the 104th Tour de France.
Greg van Avermaet (BMC) and Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors) are two more riders to watch on Stage 15. Both riders made a big push for the line on Stage 14, van Avermaet taking 2nd and Gilbert taking 4th, but were thwarted by Team Sunweb rider Michael Matthews. These Classics specialists have been battling for an emphatic stage victory at this year's Tour de France, and a grueling Stage 15 set up well for both van Avermaet and Gilbert. van Avermaet also finished 4th on Stage 3, while Gilbert finished in the top 25 three times on the first four stages. It was clear that van Avermaet expected to win Stage 14, and after narrowly finishing second to Matthews on the stage, expect for van Avermaet to once again be pushing the pace on Stage 15. Gilbert has been consistent through the early stages of this year's Tour de France, and excels on routes similar to Stage 15. Both riders will have strong chances of capturing a victory on Stage 15, and expect the Belgian duo to be pushing the pace in the front of the field in the final 30 kilometers.
Other riders to watch include Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors), Simon Yates (Orica-Scott), Jan Bakelants (AG2R La Mondiale), George Bennett (Lotto NL-Jumbo), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), and Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo).
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